Juraj II. Drašković

In the portrait hall one can see portraits of the first members of the Drašković family who owned Trakošćan. The portrait of Juraj II Drašković is significant because he was the one to whom the Trakošćan Castle was given by the Emperor Maximillian II in 1569.

Juraj II was Ban of Croatia and a cardinal, and as the secretary of the Emperor and King of Hungary and Croatia, Ferdinand I, he participated in the Council of Trent in Augsburg in 1555. He was a representative of Hungary and encouraged a thorough restoration of the Church and strengthening of the Christian unity in the struggle against the Turks. As Bishop of Zagreb, he supported the activity of the Jesuits in Croatia, carried out the decisions of the Council of Trent and supressed the influences of the Protestants.

Father of the country and of the poor folk

As Ban of Croatia, Juraj II Drašković made a significant contribution to the defense of the Croatian borders. He participated in the violent events linked to the Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt in 1573. Due to his concern for the defense of the homeland and the impoverished population, and his efforts to defeat the rebels, Juraj II acquired the title of pater patriae at pauperum (father of the country and the poor folk).

He was one of the most influential figures in the noble and intellectual elite that was gathered under the Habsburg aegis to stop the Ottoman penetration into Europe.